Young but Never Beautiful
by Dancing Through Daisies
Summary: Six years after graduation, Fabian Rutter flies to New York City to reconnect with his old housemates for the summer. Some have changed for the better, worse, and one hasn't changed at all. Relationships form and crumble, secrets are created and revealed and life has never been so complicated. / AU; HoA/Great Gatsby themes; Amfie, Fabina, Peddie, Mickara, Jara, Mickber; multi-chap
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Young but Never Beautiful

**Rating:** T to be safe :)

**Genres: **AU; drama, romance, hurt and comfort

**Pairings:** As of now, Peddie (more will come)

**A/N:** Ooh, look, a new style for author's notes :)

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing fantastic as it is now summer time! Yay! I am super excited for summer for lots of reasons that I won't go into now, since y'all came here to read a story, not about my life :) I am also happy because this is my tenth story on the site! :)

I haven't written a story like this before, so let me explain a few things. **This is not a crossover!** It is a HoA story that is based off of F. Scott Fitzgerald's _The Great Gatsby. _It will be like the novel in some ways, but I'm going to write this like it has the Gatsby effect. It won't be exactly like the book, however there shall be some reconizable quotes, themes, names, and certain scenarios used as well, but they shall be tweaked. For example: when Fabian comes to New York is like when Nick comes to New York, only their reasons for doing so are different. See? Get it? Hooray! :)

Character list as of now: Fabian Rutter as Nick Carraway (main character). Eddie Miller and Patricia Williamson are introduced in this chapter, however they DO NOT follow any characters from Fitzgerald's novel. They are some of my favorite character so I had to include them :) I'll introduce the rest when they appear.

And please, if you have read the book or seen the movie, please **DO NOT** spoil it for others who haven't! What you think you may know might not even happen in this story...oh yeah, I just messed with your minds hehehe :)

I am so excited to write this! _The Great Gatsby _is one of my all time favorite novels EVER, so I do hope you enjoy this!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HoA or _The Great Gatsby_

Young but Never Beautiful

* * *

i.

**Friday, June 21****st****, 2019**

Honking. Endless honking. Endless, loud, annoying honking. Would it ever stop? Fabian Rutter did not know what to think but he honestly hoped traffic would ease up and this blasted honking would end. He tried to not let it damper his good mood. He was gazing out the taxicab window, feeling tired and wonderstruck as he stared amazedly at the grand New York City. He was smack dead in the Big Apple, stuck in a two-lane road in the middle of rush hour, in between building after building and surrounded by those who were smart and decided to walk to their destinations. Fabian knew when he had booked his flight here that he should have chosen an early or late arriving plane, but this flight was the only one available during the time he had scheduled off of work. At least this way it allowed him to soak in every beautiful, mysterious thing NYC had to offer before he reached his destination.

Although he was extremely glad to be here, it was already 5:30 pm and he was awfully tired. The heat sure wasn't helping his eyes from almost drooping shut and his forming migraine. It would be late night in England and cool weather would have taken over by now. The taxi driver suggested he rest since it seemed they would be parked here a while, but Fabian politely said, "thanks, but no thanks." So what if the circumstances weren't exactly ideal? He was in America—New York City of all places! Fabian had never been to this country; he was supposed to go with an old girlfriend of his when still at Anubis, but things had…changed so those plans were trashed. New York was overwhelming yet so gorgeous and even more so in NYC: the city that never sleeps, the city dramatized too often in movies and television, the city that practically made America "America." It was too good to be true. Fabian felt like he wasn't one that would blend in to this lifestyle too easily (i.e. his British accent, tourist map in hand and geek chic personality would surely give him away to the locals) but Fabian Rutter was never one to turn down a new adventure.

Though exhausted, he was more than ecstatic to be here. It was hard being all alone in England. He was ready to mingle and live with some of his old friends again. Fabian had applied to Oxford during his senior year of high school and was accepted quicker than most applicants—he was highly wanted due to his excellent academic performances. He decided to attend while most of Anubis House had gone seperate ways. Mara Jaffray was the only one to follow him to Oxford—the school snatched her up quick as well (maybe evern faster than Fabian). Still in a relationship at the time, it was wonderful for Fabian to have her with him, all to himself. They had a fun and stimulating time together, but unfortunately things went sour by their sophomore year. They had mutely chosen to break up. It was hard making time for each other after freshmen year due to their conflicting college schedules and both were frustrated they never could spend time together. It was for the best but Mara and Fabian had stayed good friends for the remaining three years of school.

Other than Mara, all of Fabian's other friends had moved to America after Anubis. Mara had, in fact, succumbed to the states after graduating Oxford and was rooming with KT Rush and Willow Jenks the last time Fabian had spoken with her. Fabian didn't really know much about his friends' current lives. He only knew what they had told him three years ago.

Amber Millington was in New York, still attending fashion school and "making the world a prettier, more Amber like place" (her words, not Fabian's). Jerome Clarke had gotten into a good school somewhere in California, but unfortunately was kicked out due to poor grades. KT and Willow went to college together in New York, KT studying journalism and Willow photography. They were planning on working together once out of university. Joy Mercer went to school in Maine for two years. She dropped out before her junior year, telling the majority of Anubis House that she was offered a great opportunity. It was perhaps a risky choice to make, she told them, but it was one she certainly couldn't pass up. She and Patricia were the only two who knew the whole truth (and there was no way anyone would get it out of them).

Eddie Miller had been accepted into the same school as Jerome, however he decided to move out of his home state of California after college. He said he wanted new opportunities, "to see more of the country" Eddie had to him, but Fabian suspected he wanted to reconnect with a certain British redhead. Yes, even Patricia Williamson, Miss "I heart England," and "America? You'll _never_ catch me there," had moved to New York one year after she graduated from college. She had gone to a university in Liverpool and managed to find work in a law firm that ironically decided they were moving to America. So she followed her job and wound up in New York City of all places.

Yet it was for the best, Fabian thought with a smile. Eddie had heard from KT that his ex-girlfriend had moved to New York (Eddie and Patricia had called it quits at the end of senior year. Long distance relationships? Not their thing). Eddie had KT give him all the information she knew about her, booked a flight the next day, and eventually "accidentally" ran into Patricia as she was walking to work. Fabian had known all along that there were no ways those two could ever be kept apart. They had remained friends for all Fabian knew, but they just had one of _those_ relationships. It was like fate was shoving them together, not caring if the two had a say about it.

And they hadn't been apart since. They married two months ago and they were the couple Fabian was going to stay with. Fabian had tried to keep in touch with most of his friends from school, but life kept getting in the way. Eddie was really the only one of Fabian's friends that still called, emailed, and texted him back whenever Fabian wanted to talk. They were best mates and neither one wanted to distance themselves from the other. During a phone call, Fabian had let it slip to Eddie that he had nothing planned for the summer and Eddie suggested he come to America for a semi-Anubis reunion.

"Everyone is over here," he persuaded. That made Fabian's heart drop. He loved England, it was all he had ever known, but people were what made life fun, not a place. So that was what he was doing. He, a successful Historian, specifically in the rich Ancient Egyptian history, had decided to spend the holiday with friends.

Fabian became all the more excited just thinking about them.

In fact, traffic had picked up as well as his good mood. He hadn't realized it—he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. The taxi driver had broken his concentration.

"What's the address again?" He asked, his voice very scruffy. "We've been sitting here for so long, I can't remember."

"It's fine," Fabian said, suddenly feeling very out of place with his British accent and this man's New York one. "It's the 700 W. Egg Plaza off of Sound St."

"Oh, that's a nice area." The driver said, pressing the gas peddle.

"Really?" Fabian asked. He was intrigued. Eddie hadn't said much about where he and Patricia lived.

"Oh yeah," the driver said with a nod. "It's where the fancy shmancy people live. That area's full of people who have loads of mullah."

Fabian was surprised. He didn't know Eddie and Patricia had done so well in their careers to become "fancy shmancy" people with "loads of mullah." Once again, he realized how distant he had become from everyone.

The traffic had disappeared finally and Fabian was off. He suddenly started thinking about Nina Martin. Why he didn't know, but she still, after eight years of not seeing or hearing from her, she still managed to invade his thoughts at the most random of times.

(Fabian was absolutely fine with that).

Nina: his first love, the original Sibuna leader, his best friend…the girl who left. Where was she? This time he questioned what made him suddenly think of her. Should he feel obligated to think about Mick Campbell as well? Mick had moved to Australia before Nina had left. Those two, again for all Fabian knew, could be either living large or dead. His two former best friends…it made Fabian's heart drop again. He sighed and turned to look out the window at the rushing scene slipping by him.

It never crossed his mind that he hadn't heard, seen, or had anyone else mention the last member of Anubis House.

(What ever happened to Alfie Lewis?)

* * *

"700 W. Egg Plaza." The driver said, holding out his hand for his pay. Fabian reached in through the window and handed the driver a nice tip to say thank you for waiting in all that traffic. The driver noticed and tipped his hat at the kind Brit. He drove away and Fabian turned around to look at his new home for the next month.

"Wow," he muttered to himself. The driver was right: this area was beautiful. He stared at a huge, historical brick building. It looked like an old Victorian creation, something he would find in his history textbook back when he was in college. It looked more modern though: it had old black fire escapes, a few iron balconies, and new and improved windows. There were ten stories total and Fabian was very impressed. He walked towards the revolving doors and went inside.

There were old gas lamps and Victorian looking furniture throughout the large lobby. He went to the old, wooden front desk and asked for the room of Eddie and Patricia Miller. (He couldn't help but smile once again as he said the newlywed's last name. He truly was happy for them).

"Room 36, on the third floor." The lobbyist said. "You'll want to take the elevator. The stairs have become a little too untrustworthy as this building has continued to age."

Fabian gave a small laugh and thanked the woman. He rolled his suitcase and entered the one elevator (which much have been a new edition).

It was a smooth ride up and when the doors slid open, Fabian started to feel a little nervous. He hadn't spoken or seen his two former Sibuna members since high school. Did they still look the same? Did they still like the same things? Were they still into their old hobbies, such as listening to super loud, hardcore metal music and pulling pranks?

Fabian snickered at the last one. It was Eddie and Patricia: some things never change. Still, his stomach was flip-flopping as he walked down the hallway to Room 36. He stopped in front of the oak door and took a breath. He knew he shouldn't feel this way; after all, they were the ones who invited him to stay with them.

Fabian let out the breath he had been holding and knocked on the door. First he thought no one was home, but eventually footsteps were heard and the door swung open to reveal the newly made Mrs. Miller.

"Fabian!" Patricia said happily, a smile spreading across her lips. "It's nearly seven o'clock! I thought you had gotten lost or something of the sort. This city is too large for it's own good."

Fabian laughed and stepped through the doorway to give his friend a hug. He was making fun of himself now: what did he have to worry about? These were his friends, friends who had shared more memories and had gone through more than one life-threatening situation together than most other so called "friends" had. Of course everything would be fine.

"It's so good to see you," He said, patting her back. He let go of her and looked at her. Patricia's hair looked longer than what he remembered, although it was hard to tell. It was up in a ponytail. She had slightly less eye make-up on, but her eyelashes were still rich with mascara. She wore dark colors still, but instead of wearing longer sleeved shirts or a jacket, like she normally would, she wore a black tank top that made her pale skin all the more noticeable. She was also wearing blue jean shorts and black flip-flops.

That's when Fabian felt the heat scorching throughout the apartment.

"You too," she said, her accent thick as ever. It seemed like she had just moved from England, rather than living here for two or three years. She turned to walk into her hot apartment. "Sorry about the heat. Of all the times the air conditioner could go out, it decided to die the day before you got here. I told Eddie he needed to call building management but the man's too proud and cheap and insisted he could fix it himself. I'm _positive_ he just made it worse."

Fabian laughed loudly again. Yep, Patricia hadn't changed at all. They had walked past their small kitchen into the living room. Well, it wasn't exactly much of a living room: there was a long, black couch on the right wall, one coffee table and a TV on the left wall. Other than that, boxes were stacked in each corner, labeled with all sorts of names. They must have just moved here, Fabian thought. It was a rather nice place. Hardwood floors covered the whole apartment. This room was very big from what he anticipated a NYC apartment to look like, and there were new appliances in the kitchen. Maybe living in the "fancy shmancy" part of town had its perks.

Fabian put his suitcase by the coffee table and sat on the black couch. There was a slight breeze coming in from the wide-open windows, but it wasn't enough to cool him down. He didn't want Patricia to make a fuss over it. It wasn't too bad of a problem, but he hadn't stopped sweating.

"Speaking of Eddie, where is he?" Fabian asked. As if on cue, a loud crash and an even louder curse word was heard from the hallway across from the couch. Patricia groaned.

"I told you to stop messing with the air conditioner an hour ago, Edison Miller!" Patricia yelled heatedly (no pun intended, Fabian thought). Eddie popped out from the hall and walked into the room to meet them, rubbing his left wrist.

"You're compassion overwhelms me, Yacker." He said with a smirk. Ignoring his wife's eye roll, he immediately brightened up when Fabian stood up to see him.  
"How are you, man?" Eddie asked excitedly as they hugged. Fabian clapped his back and broke the hug.

"Great now that I'm out of that bloody traffic." He said with a chuckle. He looked over at Eddie, taking in his new appearance. He was wearing a t-shirt and khaki shorts that went to his knees. He seemed bigger than before, Fabian thought. His arms looked more muscular and he had gotten much taller. He hadn't changed too much, appearance wise. He had the tiniest bit of scruff on his face, but other than that, he still looked like old high school Eddie. Both he and Patricia had stayed quite the same and it comforted Fabian knowing that.

"I don't know if Yacker told you about the air but—" Eddie began, but Patricia quickly interrupted.

"I did. And Fabian agrees with me that we should have a professional come here and fix it." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eddie looked over at his friend and saw that Fabian had raised his hands in the air. "I'm innocent here!" He said with a smile. "I didn't say anything."

Eddie gave her a victorious smirk and she threw her head back against the couch and groaned. It was hot and she was so not happy about it. Both Eddie and Fabian laughed.

"Are you thirsty?" He asked Fabian. He was already walking to their small kitchen to grab some drinks.

"I'll have water if that's okay." Fabian said, retaking his spot next to the cranky Patricia.

"Get me one too." Patricia called out, looking over to the kitchen. There was a cut out in the wall that allowed her to see right inside.

"No." Eddie replied, shutting the refrigerator as he said so.

"Rude." Patricia said right back, extending her hand up to Eddie. He walked back in the room and handed her and Fabian a bottle of water. He took a seat on one of the barstools underneath the kitchen bar. Fabian laughed again.

"You two are too much," he said and took a sip of water. Patricia and Eddie looked at each other and shrugged.

"We are pretty awesome," Eddie said, smiling happily at her. Patricia winked and sipped from her water bottle. It was wonderful being married to his best friend, Eddie thought. Patricia was great in too many ways to list and when they had gone to separate colleges, it had been hard being away from her. He had missed her terribly, and though she never told him straight-forward, he could tell from when they had Skyped and called on the phone that she missed him too. So when KT told him about Patricia being in New York, he knew it was his chance to make things right again, and boy was he glad he did.

"_Love had found a way_," he remembered telling her the night they had gotten back together. His voice was dripping in happiness and cheer and she had rolled her eyes because he was _such _a dork. She still kissed him nevertheless.

(Patricia was super glad things worked out too, but was too proud to admit it).

"So how was the wedding?" Fabian questioned. He turned towards them, feeling more awake now that he had water and the sun was going down. The heat was slowly fading and lights were popping on throughout the city.

Patricia smiled at the memory of her and Eddie's day. "It was nice and low key, nothing too fancy. It was normal—or at least our kind of normal. Joy and Piper were both my maids of honor since if I had picked only one, the other would have killed me. I had a hard time getting all my bridesmaids to stop ogling over me in my dress and messing with me when I was getting ready, which was just ridiculous behavior, in my opinion. Then Eddie went and _lost the rings_—"

"We agreed we'd never talk about that again! We found them eventually and the wedding still happened. You're wearing your ring now, aren't you?"

"…_Anyways._ Mr. Sweet cried through the whole ceremony, Trudy catered the whole dinner, Jerome and KT scared our families on the dance floor with their "alternative" moves, Willow thought the wine was apple juice and got a _wee bit_ tipsy. You know, the usual." She said with a shrug and Eddie nodded along with her.

"And Yacker cried. Twice. She was just _so _happy." Eddie teased. He wiped away a pretend tear which earned a pillow flung at his face from his said bride.

"I did not!" Patricia countered, but she, Eddie and Fabian were laughing anyway. Fabian could not stop laughing because that was exactly how he had pictured their wedding going.

"We were sorry that you couldn't make it." Patricia told him when they all settled down.

"I am too. I really wanted to be there." Fabian said apologetically. He hadn't had the money to fly out then and couldn't get time off of work. His boss wasn't the most compassionate woman alive to say the least. It pained Fabian's heart when the day they said, "I do" came around. He looked up at Eddie. "I'm assuming you found another best man?"

"Alfie took the job," Eddie said sheepishly, not meeting him in the eyes. He felt awful for telling him. When he thought of "best man," Fabian was the first guy to pop in his mind. He fit the job perfectly. However, Alfie was also another dear friend of his, and they all still had a good time.

"How is Alfie?" Fabian piped up. "I haven't really heard from much of everyone since school, but Alfie out of you all I don't know anything about."

"Funny you say that because we don't know much about him either," Eddie said. He had gotten off the bar stool to take Patricia's water from her. There were only two cold bottles left, so he didn't have one. "When I went back to California for school, I had assumed Alfie would be attending school with Jerome and me, since there really isn't an Alfie without a Jerome."

"True." Fabian agreed.

Eddie continued. "But he never showed up. Jerome had said that Alfie hadn't gotten accepted there and he had no idea where he was going. In fact, he didn't let anyone know."

"Not even Willow," Patricia added. Fabian's eyes grew wide.

"_What?"_ he practically shouted. Eddie nodded his head.

"Yep. Turned out when I called her to ask if he was alright, she told me they had broken up. He said he would always love her, but never the same way he did before. She did say that he was somewhere here in New York City, but that's all she would say. She was really upset, but KT was with her to look out for her. They're fine now; they live up in Ash Valley County."

"That was all I had heard about him until Patricia and I decided to track him down and send him a wedding invitation. We sent one to where we thought he would be in Liverpool, but we also asked a worker at the local post office here if he would just hold on to this if an Alfie Lewis came around. Sure enough he did. He wrote back saying he would love to be…well you know, the best man and all and that he'd be there for sure. He attended the ceremony, but skipped out on the party."

"Which is so unlike Alfie," Patricia commented. She let Eddie finish the remainder of her water. "He has never turned down a good party, especially with all kinds of good food. After that, we haven't heard from him and we've been married for two months."

Huh, Fabian thought. How odd of Alfie Lewis to just drop everyone like that. Alfie out of them all was the most attached to everyone. He was the one who was always by Jerome's side, super loyal to Sibuna, and loved Willow like no other. Well, except for Amber, but that was another story. How could Alfie just do that?

Then again, Fabian had a hard time staying in touch with everyone too. He could understand if Alfie had a job or family issues to work out, but the difference between him and Alfie was that Fabian was here with Eddie and Patricia right now. The Millers knew where Fabian was currently living, which was back in Liverpool, his address, phone number and even where he worked. They knew nothing about Alfie's current situation. So what if Fabian wasn't in the states? If Alfie was still in NYC, where most of Anubis House was today, then the whole thing sounded very suspicious. Like, Sibuna suspicious.

That was saying something.

"That's so weird," Fabian muttered, more to himself rather than the Patricia and Eddie. They sat in silence for a few moments until music suddenly blasted throughout the building. Eddie and Patricia groaned at the same time.

"What is that?" Fabian asked, bewildered. The music was loud—loud enough to where he could hear every word being sung and every note being strummed. Who would play their music like that, especially when living in an apartment complex with so many other people?

"It's the person in the penthouse," Eddie told him. He stood up and looked out the window, his head facing up. "Yep, it's that guy again, Yacker. I can see the lights flashing and people moving around."

"I swear, I'll go straight upstairs and tell whoever it is myself to shut up!" Patricia snapped.

"Wait, that's coming from the penthouse?" Fabian asked incredulously. "We're on the _third floor_. How can music even be that loud or travel that far?"

"I have no idea, but this has been occuring every Friday night since we moved in," Eddie said with a sigh.

"What?" Fabian asked, not hearing him.

"I said _this happens every Friday night!"_ Eddie yelled at Fabian.

"Why?" Fabian yelled back.

"Whoever lives there throws ridiculous parties every Saturday night," Patricia said loudly, looking at Fabian. "He or she tests the music on Fridays and there is constant deliveries of food and decorations made on Fridays too. Delivery guys are always going up and down the stairs and using the elevator, so it's hard for us actual residents to enter or leave the building."

"So I guess we're stuck here tonight?" Fabian asked her and Patricia nodded. He was really bummed: he was hoping they would take him out to see some night sights tonight. However, this made him realize how tired he actually was. He yawned loudly and could practically feel the bags underneath his eyes.

But with the music blaring, it was unlikely that he'd be going to bed any time soon.

Patricia stood up from the couch. "I'm going up there right now to tell him or her to shut it off." She yelled over at her husband who still stood by the window. She began to walk to the door, but Eddie went and grabbed her arm before she reached the knob.

"You don't know who that is. It could be some psychopath." He told her seriously. She raised an eyebrow, doubting his reasoning.

"A psychopath with really bad taste in music," Patricia said cleverly. She wiggled her arm free from his grasp. He just continued to look at her, concern in his eyes. She sighed. There were times when she liked how protective he was and days when she didn't.

Today was one of those days.

"Eddie, imagine what tomorrow will be like, the _actual party night. _I want peace while I can get it." She lowered her voice now, pulling him a little closer so he could hear over the music. "Besides, Fabian's here. He shouldn't have to put up with it and neither should we."

"I get it," Eddie said, nodding once. He looked back over at Fabian who had wandered over to the open window. "But there's no use. I've talked to the building manager about it, asking if he tried to do anything. He said he has gone up there multiple times to complain only to be met with a butler stating his employer "wasn't there" or "couldn't be bothered." It's like he or she doesn't want to be seen or heard of."

"Well he or she isn't doing a good job of being inconspicuous."

"Yacker, I'm serious."

"So am I, Weasel."

They stood there for a while, waiting for the other to give in. It was hard loving someone equally, if not more stubborn than the other was (but nevertheless worth it). Patricia's hands were on her hips and Eddie's arms were crossed. Eddie really didn't want her going up there. There was no use: this guy or girl wasn't going to be home or would be busy. Even Eddie had tried, right before his and Patricia's honeymoon, he had gone up to complain only to be met with the butler. What if the guy or girl decided to open the door when Patricia was there? Eddie didn't like thinking about the worst possibilities, but being the former Osirian and Sibuna leader, his mind always traveled there first, bringing back the memory of Patricia losing her soul…

Realizing that Patricia had no intentions of giving in and Eddie being the wonderful husband that he was broke down first.

"I'll take you out tomorrow night so you don't have to listen to this awful music," he offered, letting his arms fall to his sides. He agreed with her, it was quite atrocious music. It was no Sick Puppies that was for sure.

"And?" Patricia finally asked, cocking her head to one side, hands still on her hips.

"And you can pick where we go."

"And?"

"And yes, I'll pay, just like always."

_"And?"_

"…_and_ I love you?"

Patricia smiled victoriously and lowered her arms too. "That's what I was waiting for, but I'll gladly accept your invitation to take me out."

She raised her head up and pecked him on the lips. Eddie, again being the wonderful husband he was, kissed her right back. He grabbed her waist and deepened their kiss, fully loving that fact that he was married to this sly, manipulating, amazing woman, when Patricia stopped him.

"Fabian's in the room." She said, looking around Eddie. He turned around too and saw that Fabian was still looking out the window.

"He seems entertained," Eddie said quickly, leaning back in to kiss her. Patricia leaned away and escaped his embrace. She was never one to show personal affection in front of other people. She didn't care if Fabian wasn't looking: he was still in the vicinity and that was good enough for her. She stuck her tongue out playfully at Eddie and walked over to her friend.

"What are you looking at?" She asked him loudly. She came to stand beside him, leaning her arms against the windowsill.

"That green light across the street," Fabian said. There, at the very top of the large building across from them, was the most vibrant light Fabian had ever seen. It was the exact shade of emerald and it was glowing full blast. It was beautiful but it hurt his eyes yet he couldn't tear his gaze away from it. It was too enticing.

"Yeah. It comes on every night." Patricia said. "At least it's a pretty color or else I would go over and complain to them as well."

"You just like to complain," Eddie told her lightly. He stood behind her, resting his hands on her hips. She leaned back in to him.

"I can't deny that." She agreed. Fabian snickered. The loud music finally stopped and it left a horrible ringing in Fabian's ears. How did Eddie and Patricia survive that every Friday? He could not imagine what it would be like tomorrow on the actual night of the party. However he did like that music; it was classic, 1920s style jazz. It made him think of Nina. She loved jazz…

"Do you know anything about Nina?" He turned to look at his friends. Patricia looked up at Eddie, both looking surprised.

"She never contacted you?" Eddie questioned. Fabian shook his head no. "She's in the city. She moved here from Miami when Amber got married—"

"_Amber is married?"_ Fabian asked, this time yelling in surprise. How much did he not know? How could he not have known? Amber would have made her wedding day a huge deal, so big, all of America would have known, as well as England.

…Nina didn't contact him?

"I told her you were coming here for the summer," Patricia said, looking concerned for her friend. "She lives across the street in the same building as Amber. Amber lives in the penthouse—where the green light is coming from. Nina lives on the floor below her. Amber bought her the apartment."

Fabian felt really empty now and very, very tired once more. His head hurt from the loud music and the ringing was still there. He was in desperate need of an Advil.

"Are you alright?" Patricia asked him. She put a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a small smile.

"The jet lag is catching up to me," He told her, which wasn't a total lie. She seemed to believe it. She told Eddie to go get Fabian's suitcase and show him his room so he could rest.

"Get some sleep," she told her friend with a little smile. "It cools down more at night, I promise. Hopefully tomorrow won't be as bad."

"Good night, Patricia." Fabian said, this time with a genuine smile. She said good night too and walked down the hallway adjacent from the living room into a large bedroom on the left. It was directly across from Fabian's room, where he and Eddie were currently walking into.

"The bathroom's at the end of the hall," Eddie told him. "Do you need anything else?"

Fabian shook his head. "You and Patricia are really kind to let me stay here. I don't know of too many recently married couples that would let a friend stay with them so soon. Most want their space."

Eddie laughed. "Hey, what are friends for?" He told him and bid him good night. He really wanted to ask Fabian if he was okay—he had gone pale when Patricia said Nina hadn't contacted him. He had always thought that his buddy had still harbored feelings for the original Chosen One. However he left him alone because Fabian did look very tired and he should get some sleep. Eddie went into his own bedroom after that.

Fabian settled into his room, which was very nice. The bed faced the window and there was a closet on the left side of the wall. A small end table sat by his bed's right side and that was about it. More boxes were piled up high in the corners of the room. It was nothing fancy, much like Eddie and Patricia's style. That made him wonder why they were living in the "fancy shmancy" building when they both were not into that kind of lifestyle at all. Not like Amber was…

…Amber. How was she? Where was she in her life? When had she married? Who was she married to? Amber was another one of his friends that he hadn't spent much time with, which was odd, because out of everyone he and Amber had bonded like no other. He still considered Nina to be his forever best friend, but Amber was a very close second—maybe even tied with Eddie. She brought Sibuna to life and he loved her brainless comments and unexpected intelligent suggestions and insights. He chuckled to himself at his last thought, but it was true. No one could ever predict her next move. Like how she never bothered to inform her "geek chic" pal about her marriage. He really wanted to know how she was.

Alfie too. Where was he and why had he left everyone behind? Patricia and Eddie seemed sad when talking about the jokester; they missed him, as did Fabian. Alfie was one of his friends that he was really looking forward to seeing again. Alfie could make the grumpiest soul smile simply by smiling himself. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was one of the most loyal people Fabian had ever met. Apparently the real Alfie Lewis was nothing like the boy he had been in high school. Fabian wanted him back and it made him feel sad again.

He didn't even want to think about Nina or he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. His best friend didn't even want to reach out and say _hello?_

Fabian shook his head and crawled into bed. He needed to get some sleep, stop his mind from rambling thought after thought. He settled into the covers and made himself comfy. The green light from Amber's apartment penthouse shined through the bare window. There were no blinds or curtains to block it out. It cast a lovely shade of green on the white walls and Fabian's eyes adjusted to it.

Oh well, Fabian thought, at least Patricia was right. It was a pretty color.

He fell asleep instantly, giving in to his body's state of pure exhaustion. However, his mind was not at all ready to sleep with the rest of him. Fabian fell asleep thinking about his lost best friend, the two lovers in the other room, the missing comedian that hadn't left a trail behind, the married fashionista who lived a private life, and the green light that never flickered once.

Needless to say, he didn't sleep well at all.

* * *

**A/N: **All right, that was one LONG introduction! :)

There are already so many things that need to be answered: where's Alfie? Who is Amber married to? Will Fabian and Nina reconnect somehow? How are all the former residents of Anubis House doing and how shall their paths intertwine? All shall be revealed soon!

I have the first two chapters written and half of the third. I'll try and update once a week or maybe every two weeks :) It will just depend on when I have time to write. Next chapter will be up on June 28th, I promise! :)

Let me know what you thought, pretty please! Have a great day! :)


	2. Chapter 2

******A/N:** Hello! I hope everyone is having a fabulous Saturday :)

This chapter is sort of filler-ish, so sorry about that. It basically introduces more of the "penthouse / party" mystery, but it does set up what will happen in the next chapters. It also reveals more about the AU NYC world the Anubis gang are living in.

Same characters are in this chapter and the only pairing is Peddie (so far!) :D I will introduce all pairings when they come into play and who the Anubis characters are supposed to semi-represent when they appear too :)

I do hope you enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own House of Anubis or _The Great Gatsby_

* * *

ii.

**Saturday, June 22****nd****, 2019**

Sunshine took over the green light's glory, causing Fabian to groggily turn over in his bed. It was already hot, hotter than it was yesterday he thought as he inhaled a huge breath. He kicked off the covers and rubbed his sweaty face. He slept awfully last night, his mind had never shut off and his dreams reflected his persistent thoughts. Though sticky with sweat and very uncomfortable he didn't want to get up, hoping that he would fall back asleep any moment now…

Nope. He was wide awake.

He sighed.

He sat up and picked up his calculator watch from the end table. It was almost noon. Noon? That was crazy! Fabian had never slept in this late in his entire life. He hadn't even slept most of the night! He took another big breath and wrapped his watch around his wrist. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, walking over to the window to open it. He glanced outside and saw that the street separating the two apartment buildings was completely alive.

The road—Sound St.—looked unpleasantly hot and he felt awful for the rubber tires and hot-sole shoes traveling on it. All sorts of people walked this way and that on both sidewalks and he could even hear some of their chatter. It was like a scene pulled right from the movies. It all looked too perfect, too wonderful. He looked at the building directly in front of him.

Now _that_ was something that put the definition of perfect to shame.

It was truly magnificent—even more so than this beautiful apartment complex. The apartment building that sat on the opposite side of Sound St., The E. Egg Complex, was ten floors tall, like W. Egg Plaza, but there were no other similarities. Every apartment had a medium sized balcony and brand new, shiny windows. Only a few rooms at W. Egg had balconies, Eddie and Patricia's was not one of them. E. Egg was all white and had lovely front double doors. Fabian could see inside if he squinted. He could make out the glimmering of crystal and gold diamond tiles, but that was all he could see from this angle. The penthouse alone—or should he say Amber's home—made the building seem like it was in its own world. The walls were made completely of glass and thick, white curtains hung behind them. Today they were open and Fabian could see inside her home. He didn't stare long, feeling like he was invading her privacy. Or was he? If Amber had a home like that, how could she keep the world out?

Well, Amber did like attention…

Overall it was a lovely, rich looking building that must hold only the best of the best.

After gazing out the window for a good ten minutes, Fabian started to feel much better now: remembering that he was in America—New York City to be specific—made the excitement of yesterday come rushing back. He smiled and stretched his arms above his head. Minus the heat, he felt like today was going to go swell.

He opened his bedroom door and turned right to go use the restroom. He pushed the door open and it knocked into some stray tools on the floor. Fabian saw the air conditioner positioned on the far bathroom wall, surrounded by a toolbox and miscellaneous tools he didn't know the names to.

Oh Eddie, Fabian thought. At least he tried!

After he used the restroom, he traveled back into the living room. He looked over towards the kitchen and saw Eddie there, flipping pancakes. The first thing that popped into Fabian's head was why Eddie was using the hot stove in this dreadful summer heat when a refreshing bowl of cereal with ice cold milk sounded delightful.

Then he mentally slapped himself.

Fabian loved Eddie's pancakes more than any other food in the world.

"Morning," Fabian called out, going to sit on one of the barstools that overlooked the kitchen. Eddie looked over at Fabian right as he tossed a pancake in the air. It landed perfectly in the frying pan and Fabian was impressed. Eddie was such a pancake professional.

"More like "good afternoon" buddy," Eddie said with a smirk.

"Then why are you making pancakes when it's lunch time?" Fabian countered back slyly. Eddie slid the fresh pancake on to an already cooked stack.

"It's _always _pancake time." He put three pancakes on a separate plate and handed them to Fabian. "I don't know why I'm sharing since you openly criticized my masterpieces."

Fabian quickly backtracked. "No, no you're right! In fact, you're always right!" He told him, snatching up his plate. Eddie laughed.

"Tell my wife that," He said with a smile. He put five pancakes on his own plate and went to sit next to Fabian.

"Is she still asleep?" Fabian asked after taking a bite. Aw man…he had missed Eddie, but his pancakes were a whole other story…

"She doesn't feel too great," Eddie said with his mouth full. Fabian waited for him to swallow to continue. "She woke up with a massive headache from last night so she's just resting."

"Can't blame her," Fabian said. "My head was up all night too."

"Sorry," Eddie apologized. Fabian waved a carefree hand.

"It's not your fault," Fabian said quickly. He didn't want Eddie to feel bad about the mystery person's loud music. There wasn't anything he or Patricia could do to stop it, so why fuss over it? "Really, I'm fine with everything you both have done."

Eddie nodded, feeling Fabian's sincerity. He had finished his five pancakes, shocking Fabian: he had hardly finished his first and Eddie was done? His appetite sure hadn't decreased. He stood up and started to reload his plate.

"I'm going to see if Patricia's okay and bring her some food." He informed Fabian.

"She eats your food now?" Fabian joked, his eyebrows raised jovially. He remembered the multiple times Eddie had offered to make Patricia a meal back at Anubis and she declined every time, either not trusting his cooking abilities or believing everything he ate was disgusting. Or both—the majority of the time it was for both reasons.

"Ha ha," Eddie said dryly. "My pancakes can win over the most stubborn of people, Fabian, i.e.: my wife."

And with that, he retreated into his bedroom to check on his Patricia. Fabian smiled and shook his head. He sat at the bar, continuing to eat and fully enjoy his brunch when the doorbell rang three times in a row.

"Make the ringing stop!" He heard a crabby Patricia yell from the next room over. Poor Patricia, he thought. She must not really feel good or else she would be furiously flinging the door open to bite that person's head off. Poor Patricia…

"I'll get it!" Fabian shouted, sliding off his chair and sadly leaving his pancakes behind.

"Fabian what are you, five-years-old? Inside voices!"

"Yacker, stop acting like his mother! You can't tell a grown man what to do."

"Oh yes I can; I tell you what to do all the time."

Fabian chuckled to himself because Patricia was speaking the truth. He cleared his throat and walked over to the door. He twisted the hot, brass knob and the door opened.

There stood a man in a button down black suit coat and long pants. He wore black loafers and had one single pink rose in his jacket pocket. His collared white shirt looked freshly ironed, as did the rest of his outfit. His brown eyes and hair were dark and sort of intimidating to look at, Fabian thought. He shifted nervously in the doorframe and cleared his throat once more.

"Can I help you?" Fabian asked hesitantly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is this the residence where a, uh, Mr. Roo—tter is staying?" The man asked, his voice low and thin.

"It's Rutter, and yes this is he," Fabian answered. The man didn't give his apologies for messing up Fabian's name. He sniffed loudly and held out a white-gloved hand towards Fabian. He was holding a pristine white envelope.

"My employer wishes for you to read this," he told Fabian, not once breaking eye contact although Fabian desperately him wanted to. "He is highly anticipating seeing you tonight."

"He? Tonight? Who are you talking about? I don't know hardly anyone here in—"

"Good afternoon Mr. Roo—tter."

The man turned quickly on his heels and walked down the hallway and back upstairs without a second glance. Fabian stood with his mouth open. What just happened? He had no idea who that man was or whom he was referring to. Fabian's only friends that lived here in W. Egg were Patricia and Eddie. Who else could be here that Fabian knew? He didn't know too many Americans, other than Eddie, KT, and Nina, and he was sure it wasn't someone from college or high school. They wouldn't haven been so uncomfortably ominous.

Fabian Rutter was utterly befuddled.

(That was a new feeling for him).

He didn't go back inside the apartment. He actually walked out into the hallway because it was air-conditioned and it felt _so good_. He leaned against the wall next to the door and flipped the envelope over in his hands. It only had his name and Eddie and Patricia's apartment address on the front. There was no return address. Should he open it? He almost didn't because he really couldn't understand how someone that he apparently knew would act so creepy and weird towards him…

…but that man scared him, so Fabian opened the letter.

_Fabian,_

_I heard through the grapevine that you're in old New York for the summer. I do hope Eddie and Patricia are treating you well. Have you spoken to Nina? My fingers are crossed for a happy reunion between you two. I'll stop the rambling now, buddy, and get to my point: I'm having a small get together tonight and would appreciate if you would join me for a fun filled night. You're free to bring whomever you like, buddy—a friend of yours is a friend of mine. The party starts promptly at 8:00 pm but most people arrive by 7:00, so do come early if you want food and wine before it's all gone (although I make sure to __never__ run out). Take the elevator up to the penthouse. You'll find me eventually._

_Looking forward to your arrival, buddy._

No name? There had to be a name—what kind of crazy person didn't sign a letter? Fabian had no clue of what to make of this. Who was this person? How did he or she know about Patricia and Eddie? How did he or she know that Fabian was here, staying with them?

How did he or she know about his and Nina's previous relationship?

This letter made Fabian feel like he had no choice but to go. He felt like he needed to make sure his friends and he were safe and sound, and going to the party might do just that. The letter didn't sound threatening, but considering the circumstances that he was currently in, he didn't feel too good or super secure. If anything he wanted Eddie, Patricia and very much so Nina, to remain all right. After all, Patricia and Eddie just wed and Nina…well, he didn't know anything about her but he couldn't do anything to jeopardize her wellbeing.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't.

Maybe he was overeating. It was just a party invite. People got those all the time…

…Only they got them from people they know of, either through the mail or hand delivered by the said person they liked, cared for, or loved. Not by the scary looking employee that worked for the even more so ominous and odd employer/party host.

Now Fabian thought he had more to worry about than just the butler guy being suspicious…

* * *

"You got invited to the penthouse party?" Eddie asked in awe, his eyes five times their normal size. "That's insane!"

Fabian had gone back into the hot apartment and decided to go inside Patricia and Eddie's bedroom to tell them about the letter. He only entered when he had felt it was safe. Patricia was downright _unpleasant_ when she was sick or in an awful mood. She must have been feeling better since she invited him in; her head had cleared up. She sat in her pajamas, resting against the headboard of her bed. Eddie sat in front of her.

"You're telling me," Fabian said, a sight shiver running up his body. He sat in a chair next to Patricia's side of the bed.

"And what did that delivery guy look like again?" Patricia questioned. She had just finished reading the letter and was looking over at Fabian, her eyebrows raised in suspicion.

"He was tall, wore a suit—despite the heat—had brown hair and really beady eyes." Fabian said again. "He looked scary, like if I hadn't taken the letter, he'd take me outside to beat me up in an alleyway until I did take it."

Eddie laughed at Fabian's exaggeration causing both Fabian and Patricia to glare at him menacingly. He cleared his throat and looked down.

"Sorry."

"I don't recall ever seeing someone like that in the building before," Patricia thought out loud, going back to the original conversation.

"I think that was the guy I had talked to when I had gone up to complain," Eddie told them, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "But it was a while ago, I don't completely remember."

"You don't think it was the owner of the penthouse, do you?" Fabian questioned thoughtfully. He just wanted to figure out this mystery…whoa, he hadn't had a mystery to solve since Sibuna.

He felt really old now. His birthday was in fact coming up soon…

"Why would he act like that and give you this note if it was him?" Patricia said like it was obvious. "Use your head Fabian."

"My head is beginning to not feel so great," Fabian mumbled, rubbing his head. Patricia grabbed a bottle sitting next to her and threw it over to him. The label read _Advil_. He laughed softly and smiled, unscrewing the top.

"I think the really big question is: are you going to go tonight?" Eddie said. He was totally interested in this mystery. He hadn't realized how awesome it felt to be "back in business" in a sense.

"I don't know. Probably not." Fabian said after he swallowed a pill. "I have no idea who this person is. He or she knows you two and Nina and I don't want to put you all at risk or—"

"We're all grown up now, Fabian." Eddie interrupted with a shrug. "We can handle ourselves."

"Sure, put my safety out on the line, why don't you?" Patricia scoffed at her husband. "It's not that I like living or anything of the sorts…"

"Hey, we've been in worse situations than this due to our Sibuna days. We managed to survive all sorts of evil _and_ graduate at the same time." Eddie patted her leg comfortingly. "I'm pretty sure we're good."

Patricia rolled her eyes and huffed. She stretched her legs out to rest in his lap. He gladly let them rest there. Eddie looked back over at his friend.

"You should go. You know, to see who it is. Maybe it's someone from England that you know like—"

"Harry Potter?" Patricia teased with a smile. She was on a roll now. "Because he and Fabian practice magic and read hieroglyphics every Sunday over afternoon tea."

Fabian burst out laughing, as did Patricia. Eddie narrowed his eyes, yet smiled at their silly forms.

"Say what you will, mock me if you must; I _know_ he's out there somewhere." Eddie said confidently and one hundred percent seriously. They still continued to laugh and he rolled his eyes and gave a huff. Hey, if cups could keep people young, a mask could weep tears of gold, and a hundred-year-old archeologist could come back to life, then Eddie completely believed that Harry Potter was real. "And if he and Fabian did get together, they'd totally be drinking _pumpkin juice_, not tea. Wait what am I saying? He wouldn't be with Fabian he'd totally want to hang out with me, _his biggest fan_. Get it right, both of you!"

Eddie eventually gave in and laughed along with them; their giggles were just too hypnotic, how could he resist? All three ended up forgetting about the mystery note, tbe scary butler, and how Fabian was somehow already known throughout the city. And it felt good to just act…natural. They hadn't had a moment like this since high school. Six years was a long time and this moment of pure bliss was so needed in their lives.

Right now, it was just good to be with friends. Goofy, fun, Sibuna friends.

Fabian, ever being the voice of reason, eventually brought the mystery back up once they had settled down enough to where they could think and semi form words.

Well, once he and Eddie had settled down. Patricia was holding back her laughter with all her might. Oh that had been bloody brilliant, she thought to herself, blinking away the tears of laughter that lurked in her eyes.

"Maybe I will go. You know, just to see who it is. That's all." Fabian contemplated. Patricia had dropped the letter to the floor in her fit of laughter. He picked it up and held it with both hands, staring at the ink and its message. The diction seemed oddly familiar: was it normal for someone to overuse the word "buddy" in practically every sentence? He knew Eddie called him "buddy" but never as frequent as this. He felt like someone used to though, or maybe not directly to him. Still, Fabian definitely knew he knew of someone who said that word a lot. But who…

"That a boy," Eddie said with a smile. "It might be fun. Minus the ear-screeching jazz music and all, there is the possibility of having a good time."

"I like jazz," Fabian defended. He looked up at his best mate incredulously. "It's classic, meaningful, and pure awesome!"

"Figures you'd like it," Eddie said with a shrug. Patricia nodded in agreement. She was afraid to speak for the fear of starting to laugh again. She wasn't partial to her laugh and her stomach was already in pain from laughing too hard. Everything just seemed so funny now…

"Nina likes it too!" Fabian shouted indignantly. He needed someone to help his case. Jazz was beautiful, soulful. It was music that Fabian could always find words too when he could never find the words himself. It put him at peace, and it had made him soar with happiness when his ex-girlfriend had liked it as well. He remembered times when they would lie together on the floor of his and Eddie's old dorm room, simply listening to his old record player that played the gorgeous tunes. They lied flat on their backs, their breaths synchronized together, their eyes closed. Well, Nina's eyes were closed. Fabian's eyes were glued to the perfect form of his peaceful, serene, amazing best friend/girlfriend the whole time…

But you know that was then they were still together, still friends, still speaking…back when life was sort of simple, but nevertheless marvelous.

"There's an idea!" Patricia shouted enthusiastically, her laughter finally dying down. She swung her legs off Eddie and over the side of her bed to sit face-to-face with Fabian. He and Eddie just stared at her in confusion. She sighed. Boys could be so slow sometimes. "Take Nina with you to the party."

"_What?" _Fabian yelled at her, eyes wide. "Are you mad? I haven't spoken to her since she went back to America in the twelfth grade. I can't just waltz up to her and ask her to go to a stranger's party with me."

"You _could _waltz up to her if some jazz was playing in the background," Patricia laughed lightly. He glared at her. She sighed again. It was so obvious what he needed to do! How could he not be getting it? "Fabian, this is your opportunity to get her back." She ennunciated every word slowly. When it came to romance, Fabian Rutter was clueless.

"Who says I want her back?" Fabian questioned hotly. He didn't like this subject; it made him feel sad and mad and betrayed and hopeful and so good all at once and he didn't like it one bit.

"Me, Eddie, Joy, Jerome, Mara, Amber," Patricia listed with a smirk. "Even Willow and KT do too and they've never met the girl." She saw his cheeks redden and she smiled. Her plan was just too good. Besides, she was trying to do something nice; for once, no one was telling her she had to. "It's not like you two have to get right back together. Just go slow; be her friend first."

"Who knew you were so good at relationship advice?" Eddie nudged her playfully. "I should have come to you when I was trying to get you back all those times."

"Ha ha," Patricia said, nudging him right back. "Apparently in the eleventh grade, Joy and Mara would come to me for boy advice, but I swear I don't remember ever telling them anything useful or even boy-related!"

Eddie chuckled because that sounded so like Patricia. She turned back to look at Fabian.

"Just ask her to the party, make up and then make out. It's really quite simple, Fabian."

Fabian shot right up out of his chair. "Well if everyone thinks it's best, maybe _I will_ do just that!" He shouted sarcastically. He was so flustered over everyone knowing about his feelings for Nina that he was just down right embarrassed. Yes he had gotten over her at one point and had genuinely cared for Mara when they were together, but no one really forgets their first love…

Aw man: Fabian Rutter had been crushing on the girl who had mysteriously disappeared from his life many years ago all this time without even realizing so.

How could he be as intelligent as he was and miss that?

"Good!" Patricia shouted right back, standing up to face him. She chose to ignore the dripping sarcasm in his words and make it sound like he was being completely serious. Eddie stood up as well, more so because he didn't want to be the only one sitting. "Go cross the street, knock on her door, and ask her right now. Persuade her with that dorky vibe you've always had to you, sweep her off her feet and _jitter bug_ the night away."

"The jitter bug wasn't even created in the 1920s!" Fabian shouted. He threw his arms up in the air dramatically and very much so disappointed that Patricia didn't know her dance history. "The 20s were all about the Charleston and the Lindy Hop dance!"

"Whatever," Patricia rolled her eyes. "Just do as I say."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Fabian shouted, his voice nice and high. "I'm not going to make amends with Nina when she clearly has no interest in wanting to herself. If this is what she wants, then so be it. And I am perfectly capable of getting her back if I wanted to—which I _do not_—by myself!"

Fabian stalked out of their room and walked straight into his own, slamming the door shut behind him. What just happened here? Eddie turned to look at Patricia. Her arms were crossed like she had already won. He then looked back over to Fabian's shut door. He snickered and out his hands in his pockets.

"You going to change and go over to her house?" Eddie called out.

"No I absolutely am not because _I'm not going to see her!"_ He heard his friend's muffled reply from behind the door. Eddie looked back at Patricia, giving her a, "I–think-you-lost-that-one," look.

"Just wait for it," Patricia said quietly. Low and behold, Fabian's door swung back open and his head peaked out. He looked sheepishly across the hall into their open door.

"Okay, so what if I am? I want her back. Don't judge me, just help me get ready to make amends!" He squealed like a nervous child. He pulled his head back inside and shut his door. Patricia sighed triumphantly and Eddie whistled. That was impressed.

"I see why Joy and Mara came to you for relationship advice: you're awesome."

Patricia patted her husband's cheek and smirked.

"Oh Eddie. You're telling me something I already know."

* * *

**A/N: **Whoever came up with the headcannon of Eddie being such a fanboy for _Harry Potter, _YOU ARE A GENIUS! I LOVE IT SO MUCH AND IT'S SO TRUE AND WHY IT WASN'T WRITTEN IN THE SHOW, I'LL NEVER KNOW!

That Fabina memory though :D Forshadowing maybe? You'll have to stick around to find out! :)

What do you think will happen when Fabian meets Nina? Will it be a beautiful reunion or a disaster in the making? And what about that creepy butler and the note about the party? All shall be revealed soon! I'll try and have chapter three up by next Saturday, but no promises. I haven't finished writing it yet.

Read and review pretty please! Have a great rest of the weekend :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Hi everybody! Sorry I'm updating late, but I had to finish this chapter. I really love it, so I hope you all do too!

This chapter really gets the ball rolling: Fabian reconnects with some old friends and learns about more than one specifically is letting on to. Yay for more characters are coming! I'll let you know who each Anubis character represents from _Gatsby _at the end of this chapter! :) There is also another couple introduced! Whoohoo! :)

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own House of Anubis or _The Great Gatsby_

* * *

iii.

**Saturday, June 22****nd****, 2019 2:09 pm**

"You don't think I'm too underdressed?" Fabian asked Eddie nervously. He was standing in the hot apartment living room, dressed in his favorite navy t-shirt that showed the different stages of the moon, khaki shorts and grey Converse tennis shoes. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was definitely beating down on NYC now. Fabian was truly feeling the heat and it was sort of putting him in a bad mood too. It was so hot he even saw beads of sweat on Eddie's forehead as he gave him a once over. "I feel like I'm dressing like I used to in high school."

"And that's when Nina Martin came into your life, became your best friend—well, until you met _me_ of course—and fell in love with her," Eddie told him with a shrug. "Although I still think you should change into sandals or something. Your feet must be incredibly hot."

"_Gross!"_ Patricia squealed in disgust. She had finally gotten dressed for the day and came into the living room to observe the nervous Fabian. "What woman wants to see a man's bare feet? Boy feet are monstrosities to human kind." She concluded with a shudder.

"Only in your eyes, my dear," Eddie said with a laugh. Patricia was the toughest woman he'd ever met: she'd seen every horror film ever created and never flinched once, but she was squeamish around feet? To the point where she would leave the room if someone took off their shoes or if she even thought of a pair?

Patricia was tough, but she was also really weird, Eddie thought.

"You will keep those shoes on, Fabian Rutter, and if I find out otherwise, you can find another roof to sleep under," Patricia threatened all too seriously. She walked off into the kitchen, leaving the two guys to stare at each other in amazement.

"How come Eddie doesn't get to wear shoes and I have to?" Fabian whined loudly. Patricia snapped her head back to look down at her husband's bare feet, missing the glare Eddie sent to Fabian. He hadn't been able to take off his shoes for weeks, even in his own home…

"And you ratted me out why?" He yelled at Fabian, throwing his hands into the air in anger.

"Because you two are the ones making me do this!" Fabian shouted back. "Plus, I look like I'm seventeen again when I'm twenty-three years old!"

"Edison Miller, you know how I feel about feet!" Patricia stomped back into the living room oh so very madly. She stood a good distance away from Eddie, who still was facing Fabian, getting upset now too. Eddie was such a chill guy: this really must have been upsetting him.

"Okay first, you're the one who packed that shirt. I would never wear such a thing," Eddie said, holding up one finger to indicate his point. "Two, you're the one who still likes Nina and wants her back. And three, you asked for my help and what I thought would work. So I gave it to you. If you're not happy, do what you want and see if that gets Nina to even look at you after all those years."

He stood there, arms crossed over his chest, his t-shirt sticking to him like glue. The heat had gotten to all three of them—they were too crabby. It would continue to be hot until the evening, so they would just have to get used to it. Fabian knew Eddie was right and felt bad. He just felt so overwhelmed by all of this. He came to New York to be with friends, to do great things and feel stress free. Now, ten thousands pounds of stress weighed upon his shoulders menacingly as he stood there in front of his upset friend.

"Sorry mate," he said, looking down at his covered feet shamefully. "I'm just…just a little nervous."

"Why?" Eddie asked incredulously. "This is Nina we're talking about."

"Yeah, Nina Martin: the Chosen One, the one who started it all, the one who I still considered my best friend even though we haven't spoken in years. It's _that_ Nina Martin." Fabian sighed and let his shoulders hang low. "I want us to go back being 'us.' I want it so badly and knowing she's right across the road…"

Eddie felt bad now too. He didn't mean to snap at Fabian. He really was hot—all three were and he let it get the better of him. He reached out and clapped Fabian's shoulder.

"I get it," he said sincerely. When he had moved here to New York, it had taken him three months just to get the nerve to "accidentally" crash into Patricia. He had been scared she wouldn't want to have anything to do with him since she was starting a new life in America and all. That would have meant Eddie wasted all the money he had saved during college on a plane ticket and his hope of getting what he once had again. However he took a risk and it worked. Fabian just had to stick his neck out and try.

Fabian gave him a meek smile. "Seriously though: the outfit?"

"Dorky." Patricia chimed in. Eddie turned and gave her a glare. Sometimes Patricia's opinion wasn't always too encouraging or uplifting. She rolled her eyes and gave in (for once). "Sweet, but dorky."

She smirked when Eddie put a hand on his face in half victory, half defeat. There was no win-win with Patricia.

She was leaning against the wall, still staying away from Eddie's bare feet. She looked at Fabian's clothes again to give her real answer. "It makes me think of our Anubis House days."

Maybe that was a good thing, Fabian thought. Patricia and Eddie did have a point: maybe this would stir up old emotions in Nina that she hadn't felt in so long. It would be familiar to her: the old, teenage, wingman Fabian. Fabian was a great guy now, but Nina hadn't seen or heard from the present twenty-three-year-old. Hopefully Eddie and Patricia's plan would work.

"Okay." Fabian said with a self-assured nod. He stood up straight and took a deep breath. He felt confident now. He was going to speak with Nina Martin and hopefully become friends again.

(And maybe a little more than friends, but Fabian wasn't going to rush it. He just wanted to see those beautiful eyes again…)

"Okay." Eddie replied. He had a wide smile on his face. He stepped aside and let Fabian pass him. Fabian walked towards the front door and Eddie went up to stand beside Patricia. Fabian was about to twist the brass knob open, but instead turned around to see his friend's expectant faces.

"Now if I'm not back by five o'clock or so," Fabian began, looking slightly anxious again, "that could either be a good or bad thing. Pray it's a good thing."

Eddie and Patricia laughed at that and watched Fabian turn back to the door. He took another breath.

For Nina, he thought.

He opened the door and walked out into the air-conditioned hallway. Patricia and Eddie walked into the doorway and peered down the hall. Fabian pushed the elevator button, stepped inside and watched the doors close without looking back at his friends. Eddie and Patricia both smiled.

"They grow up so fast," Eddie teased, wiping away a fake tear.

"Don't act like you're off the hook," Patricia warned, turning to look at him with a glare so fierce it would scare any little child. "I'm still mad at you."

"Yacker it's hot in here, my feet were hot. What did you expect me to do?"

"Be a considerate husband and wear socks!"

Patricia stalked away from him to go stand in front of the living room window, hopefully to feel a cool breeze sweep over her face that would make her calm down. It _was_ pretty hot in here, she thought…

But that still didn't give Eddie the right to walk around bare foot when he knew about her deep hatred and fear of feet.

She shuddered again. Not because of the horrendous thought of feet, rather she was startled when two arms snaked around her waist. She hadn't heard Eddie come up behind her. Her lips pulled up ever so slightly. Patricia didn't really seem to care much any more about whether he had something on his feet or not. The breeze she desperately needed washed across her face. She closed her eyes and let herself relax. Her lips curled further upwards when Eddie kissed her neck lightly. She took a step back to lean further into his embrace.

She accidentally stepped on his foot….

…his _sock-covered foot_ to be exact.

She turned around and kissed him deeply.

* * *

**Saturday, June 22****nd****, 2019 2:32 pm**

Fabian stood on the sidewalk of Sound St., staring up at the grand building in front of him. _The E. Egg Complex _the building's pure gold plaque read. He gulped. He really didn't look like he would blend in that well here in this fancy place. All the men who had entered the building before him had on long pants and button up t-shirts, like they were coming home from the office or a business retreat. The women were all in formal pencil shirts and silk blouses or expensive dresses. How could these people dress so classy and not be affected by the summer heat? Granted it _was_ a smidge cooler outside than in Eddie and Patricia's apartment, but still warm enough to where Fabian would like to have air conditioning.

Ah air conditioning. Besides going to see Nina, being in an air-conditioned apartment sounded pretty darn good to Fabian.

He looked back at the apartment on the other side of the street and truly saw the difference between the two buildings. _W. Egg Plaza_ had history; _E. Egg Complex_ lived in the present. _W. Egg_ had recently received money; _E. Egg_ had always possessed money, for as long as it could remember.

_W. Egg_ held those who worked for a profit; _E. Egg_ held those who were born into a profit.

Fabian took another shaky breath and walked to the front door. A doorman kindly held it open for him. He was tempted to tip him—the man was standing outside all day for Pete's sake—but no other resident had done such a thing, so Fabian didn't. He just gave a courteous nod instead. The doorman still looked appreciative.

The cool air made the hairs on Fabian's bare arms stand straight up. Fabian felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped on him from head to foot. It was so cool in here, so cool that Fabian considered going back over to _W. Egg_ and borrowing a jacket of Eddie's. That was crazy thinking, he thought, and for a good five minutes, he simply stood in the center of the lobby, soaking in every morsel of air conditioning that he could. It was cool in _W. Egg_ (expect for the Miller's apartment), but not this cool. It was so wonderful.

Fabian looked around the large space and thought it was absolutely spectacular. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the roof proudly, glimmering brightly from the sun coming in from the windows that were at its level. The floor was white marble and the furniture was beautifully upholstered in fabrics Fabian had never felt before. Two grand staircases were on the left and right walls, flanking the sides of the one main elevator. The design was similar to _W. Egg_ but looked more modern. The stairs had gold railings and red-carpeted steps. To Fabian's right were large rows of oak desks occupied by five workers. Fabian was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by the rich designs here. He went over and spoke with a female lobbyist to gain Nina's room number.

"She lives in Room 95 on the ninth floor," the woman read from her computer. "Although you'd be more likely to find her in the penthouse with the Campbell family at this time of day."

"C-C-Campbell?" Fabian stuttered, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Fabian only knew of _one _Campbell. "As in…_Mick Campbell_, perhaps?"

"You'd be correct," the woman said. Fabian was about to pass out right then and there, but refused to give in to his sudden dizziness as the lobbyist phoned the penthouse number, informing that there was a Fabian Rutter here to see them. Fabian could hear a loud, obnoxious, happy scream coming from the other end of the phone. The lobbyist held it away from her ear.

The happy scream was in a pitch Fabian knew all too well. Despite the ringing in his ears, it made his smile hit the roof.

_Oh, Amber._

* * *

**Saturday, June 22****nd****, 2019 2:43 pm**

After stopping at each floor (Fabian guessed the wealthy didn't like stairs), Fabian reached the private penthouse that belonged to the "Campbell Family." Fabian hadn't let himself come to any conclusions about what all this could mean. He didn't know exactly what it all meant and he was so befuddled at it all and flabbergasted at all the possibilities of what the "Campbell Family" could be. All he knew was what Patricia had told him yesterday: Amber lived in the glass penthouse at _E. Egg_, was married, and bought Nina an apartment on the ninth floor. Was Mick living with Amber? Or was it the other way around? Had Amber married Mick and become part of the "Campbell Family?" Why would Nina be in the penthouse rather than her own home? Was _she _the one married to the head of the "Campbell Family", aka _Mick_?

Fabian hoped his last thought wasn't true.

He stood before the double white doors that read Penthouse, Room 100 and pressed the doorbell. It rang like Big Ben back in England. It made him relax slightly because it sounded very much like Amber: loud and beautiful. It reminded him of home. He heard hurried footsteps on the other side of the doors. The doors flew open before Fabian had time to check if his shirt was straight or if his shoes were tied or if his hair was lying flat.

Basically if he was Amber-presentable or not.

Instead of seeing Amber or Nina, Fabian was met with an unfamiliar woman in a maid's outfit. She looked friendly enough, Fabian thought, but was disappointed that he wasn't looking at one of his friends. He really wanted to see them again…

"Campbell Residence," the maid squeaked. "What is your business?"

"Uh, I-I am looking f-for a Nina Martin?" Fabian stuttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets for comfort. It came out like a question because Fabian wasn't all too sure Nina would be here. He hadn't checked her actual room; he had listened to the lobbyist's advice. "S-she's an old friend of mine and I was told she'd be here."

"Your name, please?" the maid's voice softened at his silly composure.

"Fabian Rutter."

"Oh! Mr. Rutter!" She piped up anxiously. "Mrs. Campbell has been waiting for your arrival since you came to America. She's been rather distressed actually, wondering what could be more important than catching up with her."

The maid's face went red; she had said too much and Fabian felt awkward standing there for many reasons. One was he didn't really know if "Mrs. Campbell" was Amber or not; two because he didn't know where Nina was; and three because he felt like all of New York knew about him in such a short amount of time when he knew nothing about New York.

"So is Nina here?" Fabian asked impatiently, leaning forward slightly to peer inside the house.

"Yes, yes, please come in!" The maid huffed quickly. She stepped aside and let Fabian walk through the door. The penthouse was one large room. There was one large wall to divide the large space. He was on the left side of the wall that ran down the center of the penthouse. He stood in the living room. The other side of the wall must be bedrooms, bathrooms and such, he assumed. There was a large television on the opposite wall from where Fabian stood, at least ninety inches wide. The wall made completely from windows stood proudly to his left, the white curtains Fabian had witnessed earlier were closed now, blocking out the hot sun. A circular white couch rested in the middle of the room along with wooden end tables, a glass coffee table, and white lamps. A glass table for six sat before the couch, just a few feet away from Fabian. Two French doors on the window wall were wide open, causing the white curtains to flop around the white couch in an angelic way, like wings. The hot heat rushed through the doors, battling against the freezing cold air conditioning coming from multiple vents placed in various spots around the room.

It was very clean, very precious, very pristine, very rich.

Very Amber indeed.

The maid walked in front of Fabian and led him past the glass dinner table towards the couch. He stood directly behind the couch when he heard two women laughing. He recognized those two very distinctive giggles and it made his heart flop and sing in delight.

"Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Rutter is here to see—" the maid never finished. A scream was heard once more, but more ear-piercing than ever before.

Amber Millington—or should Fabian say _Amber Campbell_—shot up from where she had been lying on her white couch. Long blonde locks that cascaded over delicate shoulders and the definition of blue eyes were what he saw and how lovely she did look. Her pearly smile shined brighter than any beam of light ever could and it was directed solely towards Fabian. That made him feel so darn wonderful. Amber had this type of effect on everyone she met; Fabian was just another victim that had fallen under her subconscious spell. It was for the better though: this woman was someone he trusted with his life. Amber had thrown her left arm around the back of her white couch to steady herself as she sat up. Fabian instantly saw the small boulder of a diamond resting on her left ring finger, flaunting its expensive price and high quality in Fabian's face.

So Amber truly was married…

"Fabian!" She shouted, her voice sounding so cool, so rich, so warm and welcoming. She didn't get up to meet him, expecting him to come to her, which he gladly did. Fabian leaned down and wrapped her tightly in his arms. She still smelt like daisies. He had smelt that light, refreshing scent every time he stepped into her and Nina's dorm room or wherever Amber had recently been.

Amber squeezed him back with just as much affection. She pulled away from him first and looked up at him with those giant, unreal eyes of hers. She put her left hand under her chin.

"Do they miss me in England?" Was the first thing out of Amber's mouth. No "how are you," or "what's new in your life," or "sorry about not letting you know that I got married and not staying in touch, but I really did miss you Fabes."

Typical Amber: the world revolved around Amber and Amber only.

Fabian didn't really know who "they" was. Assuming she was talking about the members of Anubis House he told her "we're all here in New York City, silly," and moved around the couch to go and sit beside her.

"Figures," she said with a shake of her blonde head. "The movies portray this lovely city all too well if it can get us Brits to move across a whole ocean to live here."

"I told you you'd love the city life in America, Ambs," the second female voice said. "It was only a matter of time when you'd move."

Fabian looked over to his left and instantly turned to mush.

Nina Martin had certainly grown up: her legs looked longer, her waist thinner, and her eyes brighter than Fabian could remember. She wore a light green dress that stopped about mid-thigh, white sandals covered her pedicured toes, and very light make-up lined her eyes and cheeks. Her lips were plump and pink and were pulled into a small, hesitant smile when she finally allowed herself to look Fabian in the eye.

Nina definitely looked different, but Fabian didn't notice any of that. He noticed how her long hair was still a color between brown and blonde—not dark or light enough to be considered either. Her hair was still wavy, its natural state. Her skin was still sun-kissed, eyes still a pale green, and her teeth still extremely white.

She wore her Eye of Horus necklace around her neck. Her hands were fiddling with it nervously.

After all this time, she still never took it off. It reminded Nina of times of adventure, where fantasies came alive and danger lurked in everyone's fate. It reminded her of the family she had made during school and the house that connected her to Sarah: the woman who never stopped caring and only wanted to protect her.

It reminded her of certain people; one in particular that couldn't take his eyes off her.

She continued to fiddle with her necklace.

Neither Fabian nor Nina said hello to each other. As wonderful as it was to see each other, it was also very awkward. Amber, being the lovely Amber they both new very well, was determined to break the tension. There was the chance of Fabina getting back together and Amber had sworn back in high school she'd do whatever she could to keep those two going strong.

One thing about Amber Campbell was that she never broke a promise. _Ever_.

"Whoa now! Calm down both of you!" She teased lightly, looking back and forth between her friends. "I know it's been a while, but seriously, pull yourselves together. You're embarrassing me!"

Fabian cleared his throat and felt how hot his face had become. He unwillingly broke his gaze from Nina to look back at Amber. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Amber cocked her head to one side, not hearing the slight agitation in Fabian's voice. "My, my, it sure has been! I can't believe it's been seven years since I've seen—"

"Amber," Nina cut in. "That was a rhetorical question."

Amber raised her eyebrows at her guest. "Fabian please," she lightly snapped, "don't confuse me in my own home. It's not very polite."

"Sorry," Fabian replied, the agitation growing. "It just has been a long time, that's all. Apparently I've missed a lot and no one has offered to catch me up. Not even you, _Mrs. Campbell. _We all know how you love to chat."

Amber gave a large, dramatic sigh. "Is that what this attitude is about?" She stretched her arms high in the air and rested her left hand in her right one. "Yes, yes, I married Mick Campbell. What's the big fuss? My Millington heart still beats proudly within my chest, Fabian."

"Amber," Nina chimed in once more. Amber twisted her head to look at her friend. Nina widened her eyes. Amber shook her head, not understanding what her friend meant. Thus, they began an unspoken form of communication solely based on facial expression. Nina's heart began to invade her thoughts. She knew Amber was not comprehending why Fabian was getting upset and it was a little painful to watch her friend behave so obliviously. Besides, Fabian deserved to know what had happened since she left Anubis senior year.

And be "she," Nina meant Amber. Nina knew that one day she would have to confront her ex to why she left. A letter would never suffice and it was certainly an awful way to break up with someone, yet at the time it felt right, but now—

It was all so complicated. Nina didn't want to go into detail about it now. Fabian came to see Amber after all, not Nina. For all she knew, Fabian hadn't had a clue that she even lived here in NYC with Amber.

(But now he knows…)

Finally, Amber understood Nina's message. She nodded her head in satisfaction and turned to face Fabian, her smile resting back on her face.

"If you wanted to know all about me, Fabian, all you had to do was say so," Amber informed him, patting his hand gently.

Both Fabian and Nina sighed.

Amber resettled herself into the couch and took a deep breath. She turned away from Fabian, which was unusual, he thought. Amber liked looking at people when she spoke (or in general) because she would know for sure that they were looking at her back. This action seemed more grown up, sophisticated of her almost. Fabian smirked in surprise.

"Well," Amber eventually uttered. She stopped to clear her throat. She did look over at Nina for a few seconds. Nina nodded her head reassuringly and Amber diverted her attention to twisting her wedding ring around her finger. She didn't really want to talk about this, but she couldn't let Fabian know. Amber was all for people knowing everything and anything about her, just as long as she approved of what they knew. She wanted good things known and spread about her, not things that weren't so lovely or unappealing.

(Or things that made her a little sad).

Besides, Fabian was one of her best friends. Although she hadn't spoken to him in seven years, whenever she thought of "best friend" she thought of him and Nina. Nina would always come first, yet she cared so deeply for her darling, geeky Fabian. Amber didn't really want him to worry about her or believe something was wrong with her. Amber was raised that way, ever since she was a little girl: never let anyone know or start to think that there could be problems in your life. It wasn't sophisticated, proper, classy—it wasn't what _she _was (or supposed to be). At least that was what Daddy had raised her to believe.

So, Amber wouldn't reveal anything that needed to be discovered.

(She was a Millington at heart after all).

"Well," Amber began again. She turned to look at Fabian, a bright smile on her perfect complexion. Fabian gave her a small smile back. He didn't seem to notice that she was blinking a little more now.

"As you know, I left Anubis after that evil Darby lady—"

"Denby," Fabian corrected.

"Tomato-Tomatoe," Amber said with a wave of her hand. Fabian chuckled. That sounded like his Amber. "I left after that dreadful Denby lady and Victor caught me in her house to save Sibuna." She leaned closer to him and practically glues his eyes to his. "You're welcome for that by the way."

Fabian laughed again. "Yes thank you, Mrs. Campbell." Amber noticed how his eyes crinkled when he laughed, like he always did at Anubis. It made her smile feel real again.

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked away from him again.

"Daddy sent me off to fashion school here in New York City as 'punishment.' I don't he quite grasped the concept of consequences since he sent me to my dream school. Don't get me wrong, Anubis will forever more be my second home, but fashion school here was so exhilarating. It was like an adventure all in itself; we did so much every day! I learned to sew properly on Mondays, Tuesdays were solely for sketching in our books, and ugh," she shuddered, "I had to partner up with someone with my opposite fashion sense—so basically with someone with no taste at all—every Wednesday and so on and so on. It was so much fun and I made some great pieces, like the dress Nina is wearing!"

Fabian was more than happy that he got to look over at Nina again (did Amber do that on purpose?) He saw Nina's face turn pink and he smiled. She looked ever so pretty, like she always did.

"Fabian, this is your time to compliment her." Amber demanded, arms crossed and all. Fabian's breath caught in his throat and Nina's face evolved from pink to red.

"Amber, that's not necessary—"

"You look stunning."

Silence. Pure, silence.

That had never happened between the original Sibuna three.

Mainly because of Amber.

Who broke the silence.

As usual.

Amber let out a squeal of delight. She clapped her hands together and beamed over at her friends' mortified figures.

Fabian refused to acknowledge Nina's presence at the moment—how could he have let that fly out of his mouth, like some sort of crazy person? It was true of course, Nina looked absolutely beautiful in green, she looked perfect in anything she wore, but that didn't mean it was okay to just blurt that out to your ex of seven years. It didn't seem right and he was so embarrassed and she hadn't said anything back and he felt so stupid.

Take a deep breath Rutter, he commanded himself to do, but his heart was beating far too loudly for him to hear.

Nina was just as flustered. She was so embarrassed: here she was, sitting opposite her ex boyfriend that she didn't know whether she still had feelings for, barely even looking at him, and he went and told her she was stunning. He hadn't told her that since the eleventh grade at the masquerade ball…and she sat there like an idiot, not responding, not looking at him, not breathing. She was frozen to her seat.

Her heart kept beating, beating, beating so quick, quick, quickly.

Amber kept looking back and forth between her friends. Neither were going to break the tension, she noticed (although she didn't feel any tension at all) so she thought she'd rescue her friends yet again and continue on with her story.

Amber was such a heroine. She was just too gallant, noble, really she was.

She sighed contently and rested her hands in her lap. "Come on now, back to me people." She watched Fabian and Nina shake their heads and drag their eyes back to meet her. "So I attended fashion school for another three years. By senior year, I was the top of my class. Maybe not so much academically, but fashion wise, then definitely! I was on track to graduate with honors. Daddy was so proud—he still is of course, I'm his princess. I can do no wrong."

"When I was twenty, I was in the middle of my fourth and final year at school. It was during autumn. I was walking to my favorite jewelry store to buy some rhinestones to glitter my graduation cap with when I ran into him."

Amber looked at her friends expectantly. Nina of course knew this story, but Fabian was at a loss.

He cocked his head to one side. "Who did you meet?"

Amber sighed. "Really Fabian, keep up now. It's quite obvious!" She leaned towards the coffee table, more towards Nina's direction and (somewhat) whispered: "And _he_ was the brain of Sibuna."

Nina giggled into her hand while Fabian's mouth fell open.

"Amber, please tell me!"

"I ran into Mick." Amber stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "He was coming my way but I didn't see him. I was looking up prices of the rhinestones I wanted on my phone and he was carrying his giant gym bag in front of his face when we ran into each other. I immediately stood up and complained that he wrinkled my new jacket, but when I noticed it was him, I tackled him back to the ground in a hug." Amber let out a tiny chuckle and sighed loudly at the memory.

Fabian thought this part of her tale was strange. He was still looking at Amber. She instead was burning a hole into her coffee table. Fabian noticed something different about his lively friend when she began talking about Mick. He thought it odd: she was talking about her husband after all, the man she loved. Amber suddenly didn't seem completely full of life and energy like she did before. She seemed tired, deflated even.

But just barely. Fabian was positive that if he hadn't been watching her as she told her story from the very beginning, not realizing how she moved and gestured with each memory, each word, he would not have noticed a difference in her. Her voice sounded totally the same, her smile still glowing, her movements still sharp.

It was her eyes. Fabian always thought Amber's blue eyes told how she was feeling more than her mouth did. They were on fire when she was upset, shining when joyful, dull when sad. Now they seemed…plain.

Amber was never plain.

No one would have noticed this miniscule change.

However, this was Fabian Rutter and Amber Campbell was one of his most cherished friends. He _knew_ her—maybe even to the extent that Nina did.

Fabian stole a glance at Nina. She didn't catch him. Her red face was slowly turning sun-kissed again. She was leaning forward towards Amber, concern oozing from her body language. Her mouth was in a small frown and her eyes were soft and sad.

She knew what Amber was upset about.

What Amber wasn't tell Fabian.

What she was not ever going to let Fabian know.

After her pause, Amber started up again, as if nothing had happened. Don't let it show, she told herself. She continued.

"I never went to the jewelry store. Mick took me out for coffee instead, to apologize and to catch up." She turned to look at Fabian, a genuine smile on her face. He smiled with her. "We sat there for six hours. Six! Gosh, I can still remember everything we talked about. He explained how he was here with his family for the fall. They were taking a vacation, getting away from Australia for a bit and their family corporations. Mick was saying how he loved it there and told me he had graduated early from his sports academy. He was too good, which we all knew from back at Anubis."

Fabian nodded, as well as Nina.

"He chose not to pursue college. The only reason he got out of high school was because of his athleticism. Like at Anubis, academics wasn't really his thing. I told him how I was about to graduate from fashion school and he was so happy for me." Amber looked at her wedding ring, holding it up in front of her face. Fabian had a good view of it.

"We hung out whenever we could. It was good having an old friend with me, you know? Of course I made loads of new friends at school here, so I was never lonely. I was their Queen Bee and still am. Still, I grew up with Mick, ever since kindergarden. It was wonderful, really it was.

"And he thought so too. In April of 2017, he asked me to marry him."

Fabian didn't know how to respond to that. Marriage was such a beautiful thing, but that young? Amber would have been twenty-years-old at the time; she wouldn't be twenty-one—a legal adult—until September of 2017. She hadn't even finished school yet. He wondered what Mick was thinking, asking her so soon, so quickly. He noticed that Amber's genuine smile had minimized greatly. She still looked at her ring.

"We'd only been reunited for six months and we didn't start dating again until January of 2017. We were official for only four months. I didn't see it coming. You think I would expect the unexpected due to Sibuna, but I didn't. I was honest and told him I would think about it. Not a yes, not a no." Amber stopped and started laughing suddenly. "Like when I was giving you advice about Joy in the eleventh grade, Fabian. You remember that?"

"How could I not?" Fabian chuckled along with her. " 'Whatever you do, don't say yes but don't say no either.'" He quoted her. "Yet somehow, we still went on that date!"

The two were all out laughing now. That had been an eventful week. They were still stuck on how to figure out the tasks in the tunnels to reach the mask when Fabian's situation with Joy really began. Oh what a mess he had made! But he had done it all with Amber. She had tried to help, bless her soul, to get Fabian out of it and not hurt Joy's feelings, but she sort of made the whole situation twist out of control.

Yet you would never hear Amber tell it that way.

Here they were, seven years later, laughing about it, like they did back when they were sixteen. Those were the days. It made Fabian and Amber both realize how much they had missed each other.

"Ahem," a once again flustered Nina interrupted. She watched their whole encounter and for some reason, she felt her blood heat up a little at the mention of the Fabina/Jabian love triangle. She can't grasp why she'd feel this way: that happened seven years ago, she and Fabian were broken up then, and now they still weren't together. She had moved on from her crush on him when she had moved away.

(Although it took longer than she had anticipated).

Nina had no reason to be reacting this way. She and Fabian weren't…you know, together anymore. Why that memory was still getting to her, she didn't know, nor did she want to find out.

It didn't go away though. Not even when Amber and Fabian stopped laughing. Nina fought back another blush.

"Sorry Nina," Ambers apologized as she fixed her hair. "Anyways, back to me again. I didn't go back to my apartment that night, I was so confused and all. I went to see Daddy at his apartment instead. He was beginning another branch of his company here in America. I told him what happened and how I was conflicted and he…I….well, long story short: I told Mick yes, dropped out of fashion school, we wed that upcoming July and now here I am." Amber gestured with her arms out, indicating her apartment, her things, her clothes, her ring, and her. She let her arms flop back onto her lap and looked at Fabian expectedly.

"Did you get all that?"

Fabian blinked in surprise. "You didn't finish fashion school? But you were so close, Amber. Why didn't—"

"I just didn't." She said a little too quickly. Amber let her eyes meet Fabian's. She shrugged. "Once I said yes, I guess the plans for my wedding took over my mind. I simply had no more time for school so I-I dropped out." She gave a meek chuckle. "Good thing I never bought those rhinestones, huh?"

Fabian nodded, again unsure of how to answer. He was super disappointed for her. Amber had said she was the best of the best at school, top of her class. Fabian knew how talented she was and for her to not finish, it was like she was throwing away all her talent.

"Do…do you regret it?" He questioned sensitively.

Amber shrugged again. "I'm not sure. I believe my life would have been fabulous either way since one: I am I, and two: I would have made it so. However Mick treats me well and does a lot for us both. I'm currently not working and neither is he. We're living off what are families have." She looked around her home again. "I can't complain: I love where I live, I love what I own, and I love my husband."

It was quiet again, just for a little bit. Nina stood up after a few minutes.

"I'm going to grab something to drink real quick," she announced. She looked over at her friends. "Would either of you like something?"

"Please tell Matilda to make me a mocha-choca-latte-chino," Amber stated with a smile.

"With sprinkles," she and Nina said together. They smiled together and Amber felt a little better.

(Not that she'd let it show, of course. She wasn't upset to begin with…)

Nina bit her lip and turned to look at her ex. "Fabian? C-can I get you anything?"

"U-uh, n-no thank," he stuttered. He shook his head no a little too much. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Kay." She said. Nina went to the doorway that led to the other rooms that resided in the divider wall to find the maid Matilda.

That left just Fabian and Amber. Fabian smiled to himself: he had come here to win Nina back, like Patricia and Eddie had told him to do, yet the whole day had revolved around Amber and Amber only. As usual.

He felt like he was suddenly sixteen again, back in Anubis House with his two friends once more, plotting ways to stop team evil and to break a curse.

Although he desperately wanted to look at Nina without her turning away or vice versa and for him to say "you look stunning" and have her beam at him and say "thank you" once again, today was about Amber. He needed to be with Amber. He wanted to be with Amber.

"Amber?" Fabian said quietly. He knew Nina and the maid weren't in the room, but he felt like this needed to be between him and Amber only.

Amber fluttered her eyelashes quickly and looked up at him.

"Yes Fabian?"

Fabian smiled at his friend and inhaled deeply.

She smelt like daisies.

"Are…are you happy?"

Amber answered immediately.

It was still too late.

Fabian noticed.

"Of course I am, Fabian. I always have been and shall always continue to be."

She smiled at him, the smile that could make the grumpiest man turn joyful with just one look at her.

("Don't let anyone know, Amber!")

Fabian still noticed.

Suddenly, the penthouse double doors swung open. Fabian heard a voice he hadn't heard in eight years. His lips instantly turned into a smile. Amber grabbed his hand in hers. He looked at their hands, her face, and back to the entrance to see a blonde, burly man standing there with his arms out to his sides. He was smiling wide and staring right at his best mate and wife.

_"G'day!"_

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all liked the Fabian/Amber (Famber?) friendship - they are one of my favorites! I absolutely adore writing Amber :) She is such a flawless character. I hope I wrote her well :)

Well, it seems like Fabian is getting sucked into another mystery, this time revolving around Amber. What is she hiding? Why doesn't she want anyone to know what she is feeling? What about the whole Nina/Fabina dynamic going on? Seems that they're still pretty nervous around each other. Do you think that'll change? You'll have to wait and see! :)

**New Character List:**

Fabian Rutter as Nick Carraway

Amber Millington as Daisy Buchanan

Nina Martin as Jordan Baker

* Eddie Miller and Patricia Williamson **DO NOT** follow any character from _Gatsby._

**Pairing(s): **Peddie and Mickber

I hope everyone liked this chapter! I hope to update next Saturday, but no promises. Let me know what you thought, pretty please :)


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